160 THE FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



sufficient reasons why it has been impossible for the oyster-jtolice, since its first organization, to enforce the laws. 

 Seven Imndied well uianued, fast-sailing- boats, scattered over such a large space as the Chesapeake bay, are rather 

 dilficidt to watch, and especially at night." 



Morals and manners of oysteriien. — Mr. Edmonds continues in his hard, but, I believe, entirely just, 

 judgment upon his fellow-citizens, as follows: 



"All blame for violating the laws does not, however, attach to the boat-owners, as some of them are prominent 

 gentlemen of the most upright character. It is the misfortune of such men that their captains have often been 

 trained by less honest employers, and having once acquired a love of ill-gotten gain, it is difficult to keep them 

 from continuing in the same course. As he usually has a share in the profits, it is of course to his interest to make 

 his trijjs as quickly as possible ; and while the boat-owner may be opposed to breaking any laws, his captain may 

 think and act otherwise. 



"The unscrupulousness of the captain is well assisted by the character of his men. These men, taken as a 

 class, form perhaps one of the most depraved bodies of workmen to be found in the country. They are gathered 

 from jails, penitentiaries, work-houses, and the lowest and vilest dens of the city. They are principally whites, 

 many of whom are foreigners (almost every European country being represented), unable to speak more than a few 

 words of English. When a crew, which usually consists of about eight men, is wanted, the vessel-owner or captain 

 applies to a shipping-agent, who then gathers these men wherever they may be found, drunk or sober. As one 

 large boat owner ex])ressed it to me : 'We don't care where he gets them, whether they are drunk or sober, clothed 

 or naked, just so they can be made to work at turning a windlass.' The shipping-agent having placed the crew 

 aboard is then paid $2 for each man furnished. W^ith such a crew as this, who neither know nor care for laws, the 

 captain is of course able to work wherever he desii'es to. As may be supposed, the life led by these men on board 

 of the vessels is of the roughest kind. When sleeping, surrounded by vermin of all kinds ; when working, poorly 

 clad and with every garment stifl' with ice, while the wind dashes the fast-freezing spray over them, hour after hour 

 winding away at the windlass, pulling a heavy dredge, or else stooping with backs nearly broken, culling oysters. 

 Returning from a trip, the men take their little pay and soon spend it in debauchery, amid the lowest groggeries 

 and dens of infamy to be found in certain portions of Baltimore. It is a gratifying fact, though, that even amid 

 such surroundings as these there are some few who are respectable and honorable men. This is more especially 

 the case on the boats owned in the lower counties of Maryland. The crews of these are often gathered from the 

 surrounding neighborhoods, and even as a class are not as degraded as those on Baltimore vessels. 



Pay, "Lay'," and Profit. — " There are two ways in which these men are paid, the one most generally adopted, 

 at present, being to pay them a stated amount per month, although payment is usually made at the end of each 

 trip, the amount, of course, being proportioned to the length of the trip. The other plan is. to allow the crew a 

 share in the ]n'otits. When this is done, the vessel at the end of each trip first pays the 'grub bill', wharfage, and 

 commission-merchant's charges; then, of the balance, one-third goes to the owner of the vessel, and a small bonus, 

 usually about $20, to the ca])tain ; after which captain and crew all share alike, except the cook, who receives 

 something less than the others. When the first plan is adopted, the men receive their board and from $10 to $12, 

 and occasionally as high as $15, a month. Those working on shares will, during the season, average about the 

 same as those who are paid a certain amount. A fair average of the amount made by each man would be $11 a 

 month, making $77 for a season of seven months. Computing on this average, it will be seen that during an 

 oyster-season the 4,900 dredgers receive about $377,300, and the 700 captains, whose wages will average $50 a 

 month, about $245,000, making a total of $022,300. It would also be proper to add to this amount the cost of 

 boarding these men, since that in fact forms a part of their wages. This costs the vessels about $7 50 a month 

 for each man; equal to $420 a season for each boat, or $204,000 for the entire fleet. This, added to $022,300, gives 

 a total of $910,300 paid to the dredgers of Maryland during every oyster-season. 



Licenses to dredge. — "The law requires all boats engaged in dredging to obtain from the state comptroller 

 a yearly license, costing $3 for each registered ton." 



The blank form of this license reads as follows : 



No. . License to dredge for oyelers. 



Statk of Maryland, Tkeasuky Dkpartment, 



Comptroller's Office, Annapolis, , 187 . 



License is hereby granted to , of , owner of a named , tbo tonnage of which, according to its ciistom- 



honse license (or "as sworn to"), is tons, and the master of which , of , to use said in taking and catching 



oysters with scoop, scrape, drag, dredge, or any simihar instrument, within the waters of the Chesapeake hay, from the Is/ day of October, 

 187 — , until the Is/ daif of Mail next, in aceoidance witli the provisions of an act of the general assembly of Maryland, passed January 

 session, 1874, chapter 181, entitled "An act to repeal article seventy-oue of the code of public general laws, entitled 'Oysters', as amended 

 and re-enacted by chapter three hundred and sixty-four of the acts passt'd at January session, eighteen huu<lred and seventy, and also 

 chapter one hundred and sixty-seven of the acts passed at the January sessi(m, eighteen hundred and seventy-two'', he having paid for 

 this license the sum of dollars. 



This license shall hold good for one year, and authorizes said vessel to be used in catching oysters with scoop, scrape, drag, dredge, 

 or any similar instrimient, within the waters of the Chesapeake bay and in Eastern bay, outside of a line drawn from the southwest; 



